discoverer2k4 wrote:what is about making the current featured mod "Nomads" ranked global at first (could call it "Nomads (now ranked)) and then switch as proposed to an integreation into the FAF mod?

People can play nomads or faf as they want but get rated for what they are doing ...

I think that is best.

There are plenty of examples in the world that show that forcing people to choose something will cause them to leave, even if they would (eventually) make that same choice of their own volition.

Also, I would not add the nomads in a normal overnight patch.I think of it as "The Nomads Expansion", but at the very least it should be announced and released as "The Nomads Patch". - I think that renaming the Nomads to either of those names would distinguish it from the other mods and cause more people to play it, without forcing them.

I cannot agree, this is in no way a possible comparison. I don't believe people would react this way at all, everyone on faf is aware of how they are a part of this moving ship, if they are more exposed to nomads they will put more efforts to making it fit.

Again I am persuaded if nomads are left as too much of an option it will pick up dust and cobwebs and before you know it be another project that just never got the attention to finish

And I'll add this : real effort should be put forth to balance this race sufficiently so that it could be added to ladder

And this is unfair compared to the other races because we worked on the balance for the other races along the way, and it's only because they were ladder races that this was possible, otherwise people would not have bothered. think of the multiple changes on manti, on firebeetles, scathis, bombers ect...

What we could do is add the nomads the matchmaking but it would be automatically be unranked if nomads got chosen, this way people would still pick up what would balance things and point it out and wouldn't rage about it because they lost points.

Maybe we can integrate it in the game, but not in ranked yet. At least players can test it as a normal faction in custom to begin with.

But I have some requests before doing that :- Alter it so it there is a "no nomads" in unit restrictions.- Make sure they are behaving properly to all other build restrictions (no air, no nuke, ...)- Find a way to put the loading movie properly.

Agreed.

Nomads should be useable in custom games (not as a mod). If the community continues to see it as a mod they will think it is not polished enough to play seriously with. Im sure tonnes of people have already tried the nomads mod at least a few times but have since gone back to their usual factions for custom/ranked games.

In custom games if any player chooses the nomads faction the game should automatically be deemed nonranked.

Only when it has been played over a very long time with additional balance patches should it be made a ranked faction.

So uhh, Mars here, unofficial lead 3d-guy for the Nomads, if I remember correctly we're waiting for only 2 models to get done (the SCU and the Aircraft Carrier). After that all the models will be done and the faction will look rough, but it will finally be entirely it's own.

The textures are another story, but both Scalestor and myself are working on it.

I guess my question really is, would you guys (the community, Ze_pilot) be willing to accept the mod into custom games without textures?

i think it is very hard to balance 4 factions right. it will be a lot harder with a 5th faction. but when it wont get fully involved it will never get the right balance. imo, nomads are very strong and i doubt they are balanced right, but that is ok for the start so that ppl will play them (sera was at start also too powerful).

when nomads will come out people will rage about balance because they have no idea how play nomads, totally undepending from if they are balancedi hear so many people saying "nomads are so unbalanced, xxxxx is so op" and when i ask them "can you give us a replay" they say "i did not play nomads yet, so i cannot give you a replay"

Sheppard, what you say can happen - I think it's likely and it's very dangerous. I've seen this (putting Nomads in a MP client) go wrong before. It was on Moritz' Supcom Brasil server. That it went wrong was probably our own fault aswell, because the mod was way more unbalanced at that time (this is before Pip joined). After a few days the guys playing on SCB totally ignored Nomads and ignored games with Nomads players. Lessons were learned: it's not a simple as "just" integrating Nomads in FAF. Some PR-ing or advertising should be done to get people to know and get interested in Nomads and get willing to try the faction out. I think casting Nomads games works but you need to reach a larger audience. Posting screenshots works aswell but again you need the audience. An awesome "intro" video could work too, but all 3 ideas we need finished models and textures (working on that!). Another idea is to just play lots of Nomads games with different people.

I'm just going to ignore the Exp. Artillery. I'm still convinced that lasers are superior.

As for PR stuff, I would gladly do some renders of units and stuff for advertisement. I would also glaldy do an intro video assuming we have an awesome script for it.

But yeah, I agree, we'll wait 'till the next season of balance stuffs to think about implementing Nomads officially. To be truthful, I want the Nomads for 1v1, they're my ideal faction, but waiting for balance changes and artwork to get done is a necessity.